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ABB, a power and automation Swiss engineering company had to decide if they wanted to be even more integrated into the Chinese economy, ABB's biggest market, or if they should instead increase their presence in other emerging markets such as India and Brazil.

This case describes the international expansion plans of the second largest grain producer in Latin America, Los Grobo. Based in Argentina with US$550 million in annual sales, Los Grobo also operated in Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay--usually with local partners. Los Grobo had an unusual business model: it did not own land nor farm machinery. Instead, it created a network of partnered producers and suppliers. In other words, it outsourced as much as possible. CEO Gustavo Grobocopatel believed that Los Grobo's network model was the best way to work within "farming's new paradigm," in which knowledge and technological advancements were farmers' most important tools.

Pay and promotion discrimination for women continues in the United States. Women earn less than similarly qualified men, tend to work in occupations and job titles that pay less, and are underrepresented in senior management ranks, including CEO and board positions. Although the extent of gender-based career discrimination has declined somewhat over the past several decades, its persistence raises fundamental questions as to why women are apparently disadvantaged. This note seeks to understand women's underrepresentation in senior management ranks by exploring the relationship between gender and power dynamics. An important question about attaining power is how the rules of the game differ, if they do, for men and women. If the rules are different or operate in ways that disadvantage women, what should or could women do to build a path to power? There is extensive research on women's attaining positions of power and also quite a bit of evidence to understand the underlying mechanisms that partly explain why women are, on average, not as successful as similarly qualified men in getting to senior level positions or earning comparable salaries. This note reviews some of the most relevant data on these questions. It provides a brief summary of the existing social science theory and evidence that helps elucidate the interrelated issues of gender, power, and career success.

Anna Frisch had tried to initiate change at Aesch AG, a large global provider of medical devices for the healthcare industry. As a marketing director, she had identified major shifts in German healthcare which demanded that Aesch changed its ways of approaching customers. Instead of targeting the specific needs of doctors in hospitals, Aesch should address the new decision makers: the CEOs, CFOs, or CIOs of hospitals, who followed a different buying logic.

Avion Chemicals has approached Artemis Controls regarding the purchase of an Artemis smart valve to manage the highly volatile phenol in its production process. Although an existing valve could be used, discussions lead to the possibility of designing a new and potentially much improved valve. Time, engineering, and software constraints make the valve-redesign project a risky endeavor. The tension between delivering the old valve and developing the new valve is centered on the marketing opportunity and financial risk. The A case decision can be structured with a basic decision diagram, but the analysis cannot be completed because likelihood statements are presented as "weasel words." In addition to the alternatives presented in the case, students might propose several risk-reducing possibilities: delivering the standard valve if the new valve is only moderately successful, delivering the standard valve if the software development is extended, reframing the price structure for the resultant new valve, and proposing a contingent contract with the software developer. The A case is a modification of "Orion Controls (A)" (UVA-QA-0480). The probability statements of Orion have been replaced by the weasel words of Artemis. This modification allows the discussion to be less "numbers" oriented, more structural, and more strategic.

The Chabros International Group case examines how a Lebanese multinational wood company confronts a drastic drop in its largest subsidiary's sales after 2008's global economic crisis. Antoine Chami, Chabros's owner and president, was reviewing his company's 2009 end-of-year financial statements and, in particular, a 30 per cent drop in sales in Dubai. In 2007, a year before the global economic crisis, Chami had invested more than $11 million to acquire and expand a sawmill in Serbia to meet Chabros's growing lumber sales demand. With a much higher capacity to produce lumber and a much lower probability to sell it, Chami had to decide what to do to overcome this challenge. Should he close parts of his Serbian sawmill? Should he try to boost his company's sales to use all of his sawmill's available capacity? If so, should Chabros try to increase sales within the countries where it already operated (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt) or should it expand into a new country (Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Tunisia)? Would Morocco, among other countries, be the best country to expand into? Was it the right time to embark on such an expansion?

The case illustrates the venturing decisions, processes and outcomes of two recent MBAs who design and launch a clean technology (cleantech) start-up venture. The case asks students to compare and contrast the clean technologies available, discuss their pros and cons, and articulate a compelling business proposition.<br><br>The case illustrates the tensions, trade-offs and adaptation challenges involved in designing a clean technology venture in a changing regulatory, funding and competitive context (Ontario, Canada, 2006-present). The multiple decision points in the case have the students critically and iteratively assess the prospects of clean technology ventures and the evolving interface between technology and strategy in Canada's emerging clean energy sector. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by the venturing team, students are asked to grapple with the controversies and priorities for Canada's environmental policies in the energy sector, discuss competitive tension or symbiotic relationships between incumbents and disruptors, and actively align new venture design and strategy with a rapidly morphing regulatory, technological and competitive environment. The case discussion also opens up a broader platform for exploring the role of incumbents and disruptive business models in informing provincial and national responses to climate change, and, more generally, the role of cleantech venturing and venture capital in fostering climate change readiness and greener energy solutions.

Following International Financial Reporting Standards guidance company records a number of significant losses and a related deferred tax asset.

An entrepreneurial produce packaging firm, that has developed a disruptive technology that keeps fresh produce and flowers fresh for significantly longer faces strategic growth decisions. CEO Bob Wright must decide how best to bring his company's unique packaging product to market. The technology holds promise after a long development phase, but the packaging is expensive and Wright and his team must convince the industry stakeholders of the packaging's value.

The case explores decisions faced by Gilt Groupe co-founders in 2009 regarding how rapidly to grow, which growth strategies to pursue and how much capital to raise.

The owner/operator of an ice cream store has an opportunity to expand his product line to include soft-serve ice cream. He needs to analyze the costs and benefits of purchasing either a new or used single-head or triple-head soft-serve ice cream machine. He also wants to continue growing the business and he wonders about the best way of going about it. Students are asked to (1) perform a business size-up; (2) analyze the addition of soft-serve ice cream from a qualitative standpoint; (3) determine which of the cash flows associated with the opportunity are relevant and which are recurring costs versus one-time costs; (4) perform a differential analysis to determine the ROI and payback period for the purchase of both new machines; (5) determine the ROI and payback period changes if a used machine is purchased; and (6) decide whether to purchase a soft-serve ice cream machine and, if so, which one.

A faith-based organization from Taiwan has made considerable inroads in being able to operate effectively in mainland China. Is further expansion too risky?

This case shows how the Roman army adopted the tactics, types of arms, and pieces of armor that were effectively used by its adversaries. Besides equipment, the Romans also incorporated superior intangibles such as tactical knowledge of their enemies. For example, when the Roman Republic confronted the Gauls in 390 BC, the open fighting order of the Gallic tribes had revealed the weaknesses of the Roman phalanx fighting style. Over the next half-century, the Roman army incorporated these superior tactics and underwent substantial changes that made the Roman army an even more efficient fighting machine.

The chief leasing officer (CLO) of Arthur Hill & Company was preparing Sunrise Atrium (a commercial property currently in the company's portfolio) for sale. Currently, many of the tenants of the building had signed long-term leases that still had time to run but were significantly below market rates. The CLO believed that the majority of potential buyers of Sunrise Atrium would use the cap rate method of valuation, which made the future net operating income (NOI) a key component of the valuation and hence the sale price. To improve the value of the building, the CLO was considering offering a "rent holiday" to selected tenants as a way of raising some leases to market rates. To determine if it made business sense, the CLO identified the key success factors to be the choice of tenants eligible for the holiday and the duration of the holiday. His goal was to develop a lease reconfiguration plan that would add value to investors.

A young man follows his passion through near bankruptcy. Armed with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, he shuns the path of a high-paying corporate job and instead stars a stock-broking firm. After ups and downs in several businesses, he finally decides his real fulfillment will come from producing a full-length movie - Ashta Chamma, based on the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Ernest. The case chronicles the various issues he faces: funding the production, choosing the director; choosing a story that will satisfy his requirement of family entertainment, casting the principal characters and creating a team that can bring the production to the movie theatres. The case goes behind the scenes of the film world in "Tollywood," the Teluga film industry in Andhra Pradesh, and highlights the pressures faced by an entrepreneur in the industry. Eventually, a rare combination of creativity, professionalism and good business sense bring about success for the entrepreneur. Part B of the case presents the outcome after the release of the movie.

A business school graduate has been assigned the responsibility of running a profit centre that deals in the production and sales of animal feed. The structure and operations of a mid-sized agri-input company are discussed, along with the interactions among several stakeholders in the supply chain and the sources of cooperation and conflict between them. The case details the interactional dynamics among agri-input sellers, the nature of competition between them, their sources of trade dominance and the distribution channel structure. Amid such a scenario, the graduate is trying to enhance the performance of his profit centre. On the other hand, a former classmate and recruit in an NGO is striving to achieve the developmental objectives of her organization. The case poses questions to evoke reflection on building mechanisms and institutions that deliver benefits for the many rather than profits for the few.

CHS- the largest farm cooperative in the US- was planning its 2020 vision statement and the role the cooperative should play in the food system.

In January 2010, Fox Star Studios is preparing to release the Bollywood film My Name is Khan in Indian and international markets. What strategies should the company adopt to protect their intellectual property? How much should the company invest in anti-piracy initiatives? Should releases be restricted only to more secure digital screens? Should the company be concerned about the frequent comparisons of the movie with Forrest Gump, in light of several recent cases of Hollywood studios suing Bollywood producers for plagiarism?

Angel investors Ram Shriram, Mike Maples, Eric Paley, James Geshweiler, and Jim Southern discuss their investment philosophies and the changing landscape of angel investing. Questions include: • How has angel investing changed in the last few years? • How do you evaluate a prospective investment's attractiveness? • How do you think about risk and reward in angel investing? • Is it possible for Angel funds to be too big?

The investment manager at Prairie Ventures Limited, a Saskatchewan based venture capital firm, is examining the merits of financing a management buyout of Crestline Coach, a manufacturer of ambulances and distributor of buses. Students must design a term sheet and create an appropriate financing package. Students are provided with an Excel model to assist in their analysis.